Sweet Pea

August 16, 2012 Arielle

Never in my life would I imagine feeling the overwhelming love that I feel now.

I've been blessed in such a tremendous way to be the mother to now TWO precious Daughters of God.

After waiting for what seemed like forever, 40 weeks and 5 days to be exact, the day finally arrived where Sweet Pea came into this world.

After thinking the day would never come, we decided to take a weekend trip up to my parents house and relax. And of coarse when one finally let's go and realizes it's probably not going to happen when wanted....It happens.

So at 6:50 A.M. when my water broke we knew that our plans were going out the window and we were going to have this baby...Even if it wasn't in the place we had originally planned.

It was a fairly difficult labor, but luckily it only lasted 10 hours with about 15 minutes of pushing. (Boo was 20 hours of labor and 1 1/2 hours pushing...)

After a few hours of my labor not progressing, they decided to put my on pitocin to see if that would get things moving along. After a few doses of pitocin, we soon realized my body, and Sweet Pea, wanted nothing to do with the medicine. My blood pressure was dropping all the time, and my heart rate was fluctuating uncontrollably. Nothing about me was stabilizing. Then Sweet Pea's heart rate started to drop, so we decided it was best to turn off the medicine to see what happened.

Within minutes my body kicked in, everything stabilized, and I began to progress perfectly.

Only thing was now the epidural wasn't working.

I applaud any mom willing to do the birth the natural way. As for me, I would prefer no pain whatsoever.

But my body had a different plan for me, and rejected practically every form of medicine. So with each contraction becoming closer together, I would try and breath my way through it...Only instead I would cry through each one. I'll never forget that pain...

And if I do remind me before I think of having more kids...

Then the time came to push, which went rather quick. When she came out the umbilical cord was wrapped around her and her neck several times and she was blue. They took her away quickly, and for a few minutes I was freaking out. But soon enough she was in my arms, nice and pink! :)

I'll never forget seeing Boo 's face when she came into see Sweet Pea. Having our little family together felt so complete and wonderful. I truly am the luckiest wife and mama out there!

Over the past few days our little family's life has changed dramatically. We all have lost sleep and are going stir crazy, but never before in my life have I felt this happy. The spirit in our home is so strong and happy I truly feel blessed.

Boo is adjusting as expected. She loves her baby sister so much, but I can tell it's difficult for her. We've been told to leave her alone and go away, followed by a door slam, for the past couple of days. I know it will get better, and I look forward to the day when I can hear them laughing together.

For now I am perfectly fine watching Boo give Sweet Pea multiples love hugs and kisses!

Dear Sweet Pea,

I am so glad to finally be holding you in my arms! You are precious in every way, and I can tell you will have a very sweet and loving personality. Thanks for making our family complete and bringing lots of love into our little family.

I Love You! xoxo-

Mommy

Thank You for all your sweet comments, tweets, etc. on Sweet Pea! I have the greatest and most supporting readers!

( Also a special thanks to certain readers out there who helped me pick the name Sweet Pea for our little gals blog name!)

Be back soon with some food!! :-)

Walk N' Da Park: Family Video

August 2, 2012 Arielle

I'm 100% sure that I'm trying to be taught some sort of lesson right now.

I'm 78% sure that it has to do with patience...

(I WOULD be at least 95% sure if I didn't think I was partly being taught to just enjoy what little time I have being a mama of one child...)

Either way, I'm going crazy.

(I'm also obsessed with Instagram. Things just look better with filters...Included my face.)

I'm at the point where I would rather be tired and worn out because I'm taking care of two kids, rather than feeling full/ bloated/ in pain/ slow/ hungry/ not hungry/ and grumpy being pregnant.

I know, my complaining is annoying...So much I'm annoyed by myself.

At this point I've decided to stop focusing on the walking, dancing, and jumping and just forget about it all. I figure when I'm not expecting it to happen, it will.

So for now, I'm enjoying lots of play time with Boo. I know that this new baby thing is going to be quite the shocker for her. According to her, Baby Sister's name is either Cows or Elephants, and she is coming 'so long' from now...

Another person I find fearful of what's to come in the future is the hubby. I can tell when he's getting stressed out when he starts doing odd and unexplainable things...

For one, he took the trash out today.

And a few days ago for dinner he put cheez-its on his salad...

He also drank plain coconut water. Seriously, he's loosing it.

Either way I can't wait for out coo-koo family to become four, living off of 4 hours a sleep and little to rare showers.

(Wait? Isn't that my life right now?)

Anyways, I've thought a lot about this blog and what's going to happen to it when the new baby arrives. I want to say that my post will continue as normal as possible, and that's the goal. But I also know what it's like to have a new baby, and sometimes I'm not going to be able to make a glorious meal.

I've got a few things I'm planning on doing at that time, food included, but one of them is more videos. Maybe you guys hate them, and I'm sorry, but my goal is to really get you guys familiar with our little family. I've debated on doing this for a while because honestly I find myself embarrassing...But it is going to happen! :)

Hopefully once a week I'll post a video of some sort, rather it's cooking, exercise, family life, being silly, etc. I want you to get to know our little family and our personalities...Not just that I like Trash TV, Boo is a drama queen, and the hubs likes to buy white shoes... :)

On top of it, I've got a post workout series coming along for you guys to follow a long on my journey to a healthy and fit after baby body. I'm excited for it all to come together, and I can't wait to share!

I figured what better way to start off with is a family video...of us being us. We are new at this, and kind of look like losers haha! But you get to see my whole glorious pregnant self, and well...That's just hot!

(Embarrassed face...)

Hopefully next time I post I'll be holding my sweet baby girl!! Send some good vibes! Have a great week!!

Take Time to Smile

February 27, 2012 Arielle

I never knew that a little child could teach me so much.

Such as cherishing the small things, and the moments that matter.

That a smile so big and bright can change the way we all feel about ourselves, our day, and our lives.

Also, a little bit of patience, and a lot more laughter is more important than any amount of stress and anxiety.

And if there so happens to be a moment of sadness or disappointment, that the best feeling in the world is knowing that a quick cuddle session followed by a hug and kiss can make it all go away.

Thank you Baby Boo for teaching me the important things in life, and cherishing the moments that matter.

XOXOX

Have a great start to your week friends! Take time to smile! :-)

Is it a Boy? Girl?

February 20, 2012 Arielle

From the second I laid eyes on my dear Baby Boo, I imagined the fun times that us girls would do.

At just an early age she was covered with bows...

Poofy tutu's and hair flowers that reached to her nose.

Lots of pictures, playing dress up, and even tea parties.

Tons of laughter, hugs, and kisses and singing songs-What a smarty!

Although it's quite fancy that her life is surrounded in pink,

She still finds the time to make our hearts sink.

With cuddles an snuggles up to daddy each night,

He's wrapped around her little finger oh so very tight.

And now, almost two years later we are adding one more.

A sibling for Boo, and more snuggles galore.

We couldn't be happier, whether it's a boy or a girl...

Just as long as it's healthy and falls asleep in a whirl.

Now the day has arrived where we reveal the little one's gender,

And we wanted to announce in a way with much splendor!

I made cupcakes, of coarse, with a secret message inside...

The color in the middle will release joyful cries!

IT'S A GIRL!! IT'S A GIRL!!

Do you know what this means?

More pink bows, more dresses, matching outfits, and ballet...

(Or as the hubby sees it...)

Two weddings, two proms, meeting boyfriends..He better start to pray.

Either way that you see it, it's the greatest blessing non the less.

Are we happy, are we grateful, are we healthy...And the answer is YES!!

Thank you everybody for your sweet e-mails, comments, notes, support, etc!! We appreciate each and everyone of you, and are so glad to share this monumental time in our lives with you!

We can't wait for you to meet Baby Loo!! :-)

Homemade Diva {Ding} Dongs

January 17, 2012 Arielle

So I've got this thing called a butt.

I mean, everyone has them, unless your like my husband, than you have to look real hard for his.

But mine, my butt, is very easy to find. In high school I had nicknames like J-Lo, the white Beyonce, and booty-booty. It's true.

I had this art class, and every time I would walk in front of a boy, all he would say was, "booty-booty-booty-booty." And you can bet your bottom dollar that when, "I Like Big Butts" came on at school dances, my friends would all look at me and say, "Giiiirl, this is your sooooonng!"

And trust me, I hate pant shopping. With every clothing geared toward the skinny jean look, you can bet that I run far far away to the sweats section. Because big baggy sweats are SO much sexier than tight skinny jeans on my big booty...

Ok, so maybe I need a personal stylist...and some help...

You see, with pregnancy, things on your body get bigger...and wider, because a baby needs room to grow. Some days I feel like I need to strap a "wide load" sign on my back side, and other days I feel like eating ding dongs. Either way I see it, watch out...

"Beeeeep...Beeeep...Beeeep."

Let's be honest, whether you eat healthy or not, at some point in mostly everyone's life, they have had a ding dong. I'm brought back to school lunches, where unwrapping a piece of tin foil was never so exciting just knowing there was circle of chocolate covered cream filled cake inside...

Yummm..

But now I'm a little for cautious and know that besides a delicious cake I also get nasty preservatives, unhealthy amounts of fat and sugar, additives, and yucky yucky stuff. This is a problem my friends...because I have been craving ding dongs like my butt depended on it.

Well, it was a problem, but not any more...

Homemade Diva (Ding) Dongs

*Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Delicious*

Ingredients: (For the Cake) (Cake recipe adapted from here!)

1 c. Bob's gluten free flour (or whole wheat pastry for non GF)

1/4 c. cocoa powder

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

dash of salt

1 1/2 TB. cornstarch

1/4 c. melted coconut oil

1/4 c. applesauce (room temperature)

1/2 c. non dairy milk(room temperature)

1/4 c. maple syrup(room temperature)

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. dates + 1/4 c. water pureed together to form a paste. (you can do this with a blender or food processor)

Ingredients: (For the Filling)

One can full fat coconut milk, top open and covered with plastic wrap, that has been sitting in the fridge over night

sweetener of choice-maple syrup, stevia, honey, agave, powdered sugar

Ingredients: (For the Coating) (Double amount for thicker coating)

1 -85% cocoa chocolate bar (you can do sweeter if you prefer, but I love dark chocolate) (3.5 ounces) (about 1/2 c. chocolate)

1/8 c. coconut oil

1 TB. sweetener of choice (I used agave) (optional)

Directions: (for the cake)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients together in one bowl, and wet ingredients together in another. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until incorporated. Don't overmix.

2. Spray a cake pan/square pan(8x8) etc. with non stick spray and pour batter into cake pan. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until center comes out clean. *Note: These aren't going to rise super high, so for a higher cake, you can use a smaller pan or use a cupcake muffin pan.)

3. Once cake is done and cooled and released from pan and placed on cookie sheet, use a glass/circle cookie cuter and cut out circles.

What you do with the leftover cake is up to you...Whether you eat it, or...eat it...or eat...It's up to you...

I promise...I won't judge. That would be hypocrytical.

4. Set aside and make filling.

Directions: For the Filling

1. After can of coconut has been sitting in the fridge overnight, remove it. With a spoon, scoop out the full fat cream that thickened overnight and put it in a bowl. Add a few TB. of your sweetener of choice and whisk together. Put back in the fridge while you make the chocolate coating.

Directions: For the Coating:

1. Add your chocolate, oil, and sweetener in a bowl that is sitting over a pot of simmering water. (double broiler.) Continue to stir until melted. Set aside. (You can also melt the chocolate in a microwave.)

Directions: For the assembly:

1. Take your cream filling and put it in a pastry bag fitted with any tip that has a smaller hole. I use this long skinny one that has gotten in a few fights with the garbage disposal.

You can also cut out a center of the ding dong if you would like, if you don't have a tip.

2. With your pastry bag, poke a hole in the cake a squeeze a bunch of cream into the cupcake. Squeeze hard...

I like a lot of cream in the center of my Diva Dong.

You can also poke more than one hole in the cake so filling get's through out the middle.

Be Patient...We are almost done...

Once all the cupcakes are filled, it's time to coat them.

Make sure your chocolate is sitting in a deep bowl so it will be easy to dip them. Simply hold the bottom of the cake with two fingers and dip into the chocolate. Set down and let the chocolate drip down to coat the sides.

It's really messy, and not very pretty. You may have to lick your fingers a few times...darn.

If you feel it isn't coated enough around the bottom, take a spoon or cooking brush and brush some more chocolate coating around the cake.

Set in the fridge for about 10 minutes to let the chocolate set, and then they are ready to eat.

The chocolate will stay hardened after and you won't have to leave it in the refrigerator.

Look at all that creamy yummy goodness....

If I were making these for friends, I might have done a prettier job...But these were for me, my butt, and I...So I didn't care how they looked, just how they tasted...

And I can assure you...They tasted amazing.

And if you have leftover cream filling, well don't be shy...use it up!

A Typical Morning w/ Baby Boo-VIDEO

January 11, 2012 Arielle

Some of our mornings start out...rough.

Since Baby Boo has never really learned the meaning of the word "sleep," we tend to get an earlier-than-i'd-prefer start to the day.

I often find myself trying to hold my eyes open as I scramble through old recorded episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, just so I can pull myself together...(Because there is nothing more awakening than hearing Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck having a conversation about choo choo trains and mouskadoodles.)

I used to wonder if our mornings "fit" into that typical every day schedule like other stay-at-home moms, and I often asked myself if I'm the norm...

or well...far from it.

But there is something that I have learned through out this whole mommy journey, and it's that no one is ever of the norm...

No one.

Sometimes we go to the mall and there are mommy's there who have taken showers and their clothes actually fit and match. My first thought it, "Oh Brother, look at me...I took a shower today. Nener nener nener. I'm the best mom ever!"

But as I have grown older, and the showers happened way less, I realize some things aren't just that important. (Ok...Although showers ARE important.)

My daughter's smile on her face brings more joy to me than anything.

Moral of the story: If you see me at the mall, run far far away...I'm stinky.

So for those mama's out there that want to feel a little bit more normal, and realize that some mornings our hair isn't going to be brushed, our clothes aren't going to be perfect, and we might just have to listen to Justin Bieber more than once to make it though the day...

It's all good! As long as you and your kiddos are smiling that's all that matters!

A Typical Morning w/ Baby Boo!

Hopefully you all feel a bit more normal now! :-)

Magnetic Makeup Board & Makeup Brush Holders

November 16, 2011 Arielle

I'm going to sound like every other person on the planet and talk about how much I love Pinterest.

The idea of opening up a web page only to find food, clothes, home decor, crafts, DIY, handsome men, cute lil' babies, and lots of lots of pretty things...Weeeellll...

I'm not complaining.

If I could I would sew my whole families clothes, style my hair perfect, sport some hot smokey eyes, cook the most delicious dinners, have the most beautiful house, and take precious family photos. Most likely I would never sleep, not have time to enjoy that delicious dinner, and probably ignore/never see my family...

But, there are FAR more important things in life that I don't want to miss. So for now I'll do what I can, and settle for sweat pants, a messy ponytail, and beans and rice tonight for dinner.

So a while back In noticed (via pinterest) a magnetic makeup board from the website Liz Maria Blog . I instantly fell in love. (With the makeup board and the Website as well!!)

My makeup was super unorganized just thrown into a drawer, and my brushes were getting extremely dirty all mixed with everything. So when I saw the idea I knew I had to try it.

It was SUPER simple, and it cost me only a couple of dollars!

I started with a frame I had already. I had primed the frame white, then spray painted it yellow. Then I took some sand paper and rubbed a few spots here and there to give it some character.

I then rolled some rosette flowers made from burlap and doilies. Yes, doilies. I have about 692 of them in my garage from my grandpas house. I am determined to use them!

I then hot glued some burlap onto the original bored for the frame.

Next, I took my magnetic sheet (which I got at Lowes for $1.50!!) and hot glued some burlap over that.

I then glued the two boards together.

The magnet board was smaller than the frame backing, but it didn't bother me. I like the depth it gave to the frame.

Now comes the time to hot glue some magnets on the back on your makeup.

For smaller ones you only need one magnet, but for larger pieces you will need more.

Then you just stick it on!

P.S. Bobbi Brown liquid eyeliner is A-MA-ZING!

For my brushes I just used two candle holders that I had saved from when the hubby and I got married!

SEE! This teaches you to save and hoard EvErYtHiNg! :-)

I cut out vinyl letters with my Cricut machine, one for my eye brushes and one for my face brushes. (I am also doing the same thing for my kitchen jars too!)

You could easily buy letter stickers and do the same thing.

Next, I filled each holder with a mixture of dry beans. (You KNOW I have tons of those sitting in my house!)

It really helps hold the brushes up right!

I seriously LOOVE this whole idea!

I love having such organization in my makeup, let alone SUCH easy cleanup!

Ok guys...you know what you gotta do now...

PIN It! :-)

Have a great day!

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

October 13, 2011 Arielle

My brother only eats 4 things.

He's the one on the far left.

Macaroni n' Cheese

S'mores Pop Tarts

Burgers and

Mashed Potatoes n' Gravy.

This is no joke. Last year I made him a mashed potato panini with our thanksgiving leftovers...He still talks about it to this day.

Despite being probably one of the pickiest on the planet, I love him for his weirdness. I remember at one point he would refuse to eat anything besides mashed potatoes...And I dunno about you, but mashed potatoes at every family meal got old real fast. Not to him though. Every bite was like Christmas morning.

That's what I am assuming anyway...It had to be! Why else would you eat it for every meal?!

I also have another brother who won't eat his food if you touched it, or if other food was touching it. And then there is me who won't eat meat or cheese, and prefers an abundance of spinach and hummus. Don't forget about my hubby who prefers to eat food that is still mooing, if you catch my drift.

Oh, and our daughter who refuses to eat real foods, would much rather live off of ba-ba's...

I bet you can guess how much my mom LoVeS to cook dinner for the whole family!

But sometimes there are ways around picky eaters. Ways that us mom's, family chefs, etc. will never reveal...

Until now that is..

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

*I saw a similar recipe for this in my skinny bitch cookbook, but I didn't have the cookbook with me when I made them. So I winged it! :-) And the result turned out better than I expected.*

Ingredients:(for the potatoes)

2 rutabagas

2 med/large parsnips

1 medium potato

Almond milk (or other milk of choice)

2 TB. Earth Balance vegan butter

1 head garlic

olive oil

salt, pepper

Directions:

1. First roast your garlic. Don't know how to do that, well let me share with you how! :-)

How to Roast Garlic

First take a whole head of garlic.

Cut off the top of the garlic.

Peel off some of the extra skin around the head of the garlic. You don't have to peel it all off, because your want some of it on to leave the cloves together.

Take a sheet of foil and place the garlic head on it. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Fold the garlic in the foil and cook in a preheated oven of 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

When it's done it will look golden brown and smell like heaven!

I can't say the same about your breath if you eat it...buuuutt...

2. While the garlic is roasting wash, peel, cut, and dice the rutabegas, parsnips, and potato.

These are rutabagas:

They kind of look like white beets. (Before these mashed potatoes, I didn't know what a rutabaga was...I had to google it. Sad.)

These are parsnips.

Luckily I knew what these were. Only because I've made these fries. To.Die.For.

3. Add diced veggies in a pot of water and boil for about 45 minutes. Maybe longer (maybe shorter). I used a BIG (too big) pot of water, so it took longer to boil. So adjust the time to when the veggies are soft and cooked.

4. When they are cooked, drain them and put them back in the pot. Add the butter, a little bit of milk, and the whole head of garlic. The garlic will just fall out of the head simply by squeezing the bottoms and using a fork to aid them out.

5. Using a potato masher or beaters, mash the veggies together until smooth and creamy. Adding more milk will make them smoother. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. (I also like to add a little paprika and nutritional yeast.) You can mash them as creamy as you would like, or as chunky as you would like.

I prefer a chunky monkey!

But what about that gravy?

Vegetable Gravy

Ingredients:

Vegetable broth

3 TB + 1 tsp. whole wheat flour

2 1/2 TB. Vegan butter

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, melt butter on medium/low heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk until thick. Pour in veggie broth little by little, whisking until desired thickness is reached. I used a box of veggie stock and just kept adding more and more until I was satisfied. I used about 1/3 of a 32. oz box.

2. Pour over mashed potatoes or drink straight from pot....once cooled that is.

My brother ate it.

Baby Boo ate it.

My other brother ate it, just as long as it wasn't touching his green beans.

My hubby ate it.

Oh, and I inhaled it...

Know one even knew that there were parsnips...rutabagas....really anything nutritious in them.

:-)

Story of my life with most food that I make for others...

Oh well! What they don't know, really isn't hurting them. :-)

Gumpaste 101: Beginners Basics and Cookie Cutter Flowers

October 6, 2011 Arielle

**Excuse the bad pictures :(! I was doing this project at night, and my house lighting is not sexy/flattering at all...**

Frequently my kitchen is a disaster.

I try and blame it on my small apartment kitchen, but let's be honest...

I'm freakin' messy.

I'm a 7 bowls out, 9 different spoons, dirty sticky measuring cups, and flour all over my face kinda girl.

And if you think that's bad, you should see my closet.

Well, no you shouldn't, because you might not want to be my friend.

But one of the biggest messes I make in the kitchen is when I am doing cupcake decorating. Occasionally, I have friends/family on the side that allow me to bake/make/decorate cupcakes for a special occasion.

I've done simple things like baby showers:

To big things like weddings:

I'm no fancy pants, and it's really just a hobby, but I love to do it. One of my favorite things to use is gumpaste.

Gumpaste is basically sugar, and hardens when dry unlike fondant. It doesn't taste good, like fondant, and it's really just for decorations. Primarily, gumpaste can be used for really anything, but it is most often used to make flowers.

Today, I am going to share with you the Beginners of Basic Gumpaste.

Where to start. How it works? and simple cookie cutter flowers.

To start off, you need some gumpaste.

I buy mine pre made from Wilton, because it's just easier that way. You can definitely make it home made if you would like, but it's more work.

To start off, just rip off a piece of gumpaste, and roll it into a ball. Gumpaste get's kind of sticky, so I always have corn starch or powdered sugar near by to rub on my hands.

Next you will need some cookie cutter. ANY cookie cutter will do! If you want to get more into it, you can by really cool cutters online, but they aren't necessary. These are my favorite cutters so far.

They are gerber daisies, and the cutter is called a plunger. The way it cuts, kind of reminds me of a punch card. You can find them online HERE.

Next you will need food coloring.

There are different brands of food coloring, and you can technically use any of them. BUT, I prefer the gel kinds. The ones you get in the grocery store are really watery (those are the ones with the pointy tops to the right of the picture). The gel colorings are really strong, and a little goes a long way.

When it comes to tinting your gumpaste, simple take a toothpick and insert it into the gel. Just barely dab it in, because a little goes a long way.

Then wipe the toothpick onto the gumpaste.

Roll and knead your dough until the color is fully incorporated into the gumpaste. You can add more coloring if desired.

Next, take a cutting board mat and rub down with powdered sugar. (Any mat will do, just make sure it's non stick.) Using a small roller (which you can also pick up at a craft store), roll out your gumpaste to desired thickness.

You want it thin..but not too thin.

Next, take your cookie cutters and cut out your shapes.

Don't worry about all the powdered sugar, you can just brush it off with a little paint brush! :-)

You can also layer flowers, which I think it really pretty, whether it's the same color or different color.

Now, in order for them to have more of a flower shape, instead of being perfectly flat, there are two things I like to do.

One, is using a cotton ball. I just lay the flower over it, and let it dry to that shape.

That little gadget next to the flower helps soften the edges by simply thinning it out, like so:

These tools can be found online, or at a local craft store.

I also love to use recycled egg trays. They are perfect for giving flowers shape!

Once the flowers have dried, which could take up to an hour or two, you can glitterize it!! :-) My favorite part!

I buy some edible glitter dust from a local store, but it can also be found online HERE.

So to prepare your flowers, first layer them by dabbing a bit of water on top of the bottom layer. Then place the top flower directly on top. The water will make it stick.

Then, to glitterize, simply wet the flower (lightly) with a paintbrush dipped in water.

Then dip your paintbrush in the glitter, and coat the flower until you've reached your desired glittery-ness! :-)

(Glittery-ness is now a word.)

You can also put a dot of frosting in the middle, or what I like to do is use little silver sugar balls, (I buy mine locally, but you can buy those HERE online too.).

You just wet the middle, and press them in!

After you have glitterized it, the flower will be sticky because it's wet. Leave it to dry again for a few hours or overnight. You can put it back into it's the egg carton to shape it if you would like. Not the cotton ball because it will stick to it since it's wet!

There ya have it! SO easy! Come back soon to see what these pretty diva's are going on top on! :-)

Drab to Diva Chandelier

September 6, 2011 Arielle

I hate to admit it, but I'm growing up.

Even though I'm not as old as my husband, I would consider myself a mature adult. My choice of TV shows might scream others wise..And even my wardrobe. Trust me, if I could pull off a huge pink tutu like Baby Boo, I would totally sport it. I just don't think it would do wonders for my booty.

Mature people also use the word booty...often.

But I think the biggest mature part about me is the fact that my interest have changed. Before, I would have died if my parents made me walk into home decor stores, like pottery barn. Because I swear to cheese, if Billy from my 6th grade class saw me shopping at a LAMO store such as the "barn," instead of somewhere cool like Forever 21...

Now, I go specifically to the mall knowing that I am going to walk into home decor stores, and I get beyond happy when I see cute furniture and stylish pillows..

And holy watermelon, If there are cute plates...Clear the way! Of coarse I usually have to go by myself, because Hubby starts throwing tantrums.. "Babe, if my friends see me in this store, I will never hear the end of it..." But heck, if I need a new bra from Victoria Secret...

And sometimes I like to pretend that I can decorate.

I like to think that someday I'll make friends in this city I've lived in for the past couple months, and when I do they can come hang out at my pad.

And we can watch mature shows like Bachelor Pad and ABC Family...

Drab to Diva Chandelier

This seriously was probably the easiest project I have ever done. It's super simple, and you can design it any way you would like.

To start off, I bought a cheap-o chandelier from a thrift store for $10.

It was kind of bent, and missing a lightbulb, but It worked perfectly!

First I sprayed it lightly with a primer, and then finished it off with white spray paint.

I didn't fully spray the chandelier, because like the rest of Baby Boo's room, (dresser and table), I liked the unfinished/vintage look.

If that's what you call it..maybe you call it crap, I dunno... :)

Then I hung little crystals that my mother-in-law had bought from Tai Pan..

You can still see some of the gold, but I promise..that was the look I was going for.. haha

This chandelier is for Baby Boo's room.

I promise someday I'll reveal all of Baby Boo's room, not just in little pieces.

I just have to finish the room first...and do laundry..and make dinner...

And shop at Pottery Barn.

See you tomorrow friends!! :)

Sugar Coated Coma and Wedding Cupcakes!

May 15, 2011 Arielle

This post may seem a little off,

Because it's not often we talk about 24 boxes of powdered sugar.

Or the fact that I have enough vegetable oil to drive to china..

Can you drive to China?

Doubtful

Oh and there is butter...

Probably enough butter to make you as big as China.

Or about the same amount of butter Mrs. Dean adds to her mashed potatoes...

Either way, Big as China.

Which is how I feel after this weekend. No, I didn't just call it quits and say 'Forget This' when it comes to living healthy and add a stick of butter to my morning smoothie...

(Would that even taste good? I dunno, ask Mrs. Dean)

I actually had a purpose to this madness..

A purpose of about 200 cupcakes AND a wedding cake!

And for two days every time I opened my fridge I found this...

Drool..

THEN, only to shut the fridge, and have the rest of THIS bad boy screaming 'Eat Me Now you Sissy La La!'

No thank you, this carrot taste delicious!

Baby Boo was probably the hardest to contain self control. Every time I turned around , she tried to sneak a snack in here and there..

Like mama' like daughta'

And...Actually to be truthful, I wasn't the least bit tempted to eat every single cupcake..I was too sick from testing batters and frostings, that the thought of sugar made me want to..

Eat a carrot..

And I technically wasn't allowed to since the cupcakes weren't all for me..:)

Dang..

They were how ever for some really great friends of ours who got married this weekend! I was SO nervous to bake for a wedding..Not something I had ever done!

But I think everything turned out pretty good..

It was one of the most beautiful weddings I had ever seen. Every single touch was handmade and done by the family, or someone that the family was close with.